Beihai Introduction

Located in the southwest area of China, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. possesses a charming city in the south - Beihai. Due to Beihai's advantageous position, lying o­n the northeastern bank of Beibu Gulf, it is known as an excellent tourist city. It is a hub city connecting the southwest of China to Southeast Asia while lying adjacent to Guangdong, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau and Viet Nam. Beihai is a beautiful and romantic city boasting subtropical seaside scenery.Two thousand years ago, Beihai was o­ne of the two departure harbors of China's famous 'Silk Road o­n the Sea'. Beihai has experienced a long history of being open to tourists. This has contributed to the large number of international tourists found in the city. Facing the Beibu Gulf, the climate in Beihai is very pleasant: sufficient sunlight, abundant rainfall, luxuriant plants, green grass and beautiful flowers flourish in its fresh air. Beihai people are proud of their quality of air as it is regarded as the best in China, containing a high content of negative oxygen ions having the ability to dispel aches, reduce fatigue and blood pressure whilst bringing about a sense of relaxation. More than ten non-local nursing homes and recovery centers are built in Beihai thereby providing perfect facilities for the aged. Many people, both home and abroad, choose to live in Beihai, as it is regarded as o­ne of China's four most liveable cities. (Zhuhai, Beihai, Weihai, and Xiamen)Beihai boasts many scenic areas displaying modern gardening techniques. Such scenic places include the Beibu Gulf Square, Silver Beach, Weizhou Island and Xingdao Lake. Many human and cultural scenic spots also form part of Beihai including Dongpo Pavilion, and Wenchang Pagoda. Many national tourist resort regions can be found in Beihai. The exit procedure for travel by sea from Beihai to Xialong in Viet Nam has been made easier making it more convenient to travel to Viet Nam.As a beautiful garden seaside city in the south of China, it is no exaggeration to say Beihai is a present given by Mother Nature. It is welcoming to all tourists from home and abroad.The fisherfolk of Dan Family, a group of traditional people who live o­n the cockleboats in Beihai, can provide valuable information relating to the local culture. The Dan family is known according to their way of life: Hao (oyster) Dan makes a living by collecting oysters and fishing; Zhu (pearl) Dan makes a living by collecting pearls and fishing in the shallow sea while Yu (fishing) Dan makes a living solely from fishing. The fisherfolk of Dan Family are bold and unconstrained, passionate and romantic, and like singing folk songs. The Dan family integrates a number of traditions in wedding and funeral ceremonies believing in a number of superstitions. The Dan family place significance to the Zhongyuan (Hungry Ghost) Festival and Yapo Festival. The performance about the Dan Family Folk-custom during this time is held o­n Waisha Island in Beihai and reflects a deep commitment to Beihai's culture providing visitors with valuable knowledge regarding the local way of life.

Beihai Traffic

By AirBeihai Fucheng Airport is Located 24km (about 15 miles) northeast of the city centre, Beihai Fucheng Airport is o­ne of the three main civil airports in Guangxi Province.it is a modern airport operating flights to more than a dozen cities, amongst which are Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, and Guangzhou. It covers an area of 3.6 square kilometers (about 890 acres) with a runway of 3,200 meters long (about 3,500 yards) and 60 meters (about 66 yards) wide. The advanced equipments and communication navigation testing system was introduced from the Occident. Since its expansion in May 1994, it became a big civil airport of 4E level.By TrainThere is o­nly o­ne train station located at Beijing Road in the city center and the special railway line (bus type) can get you to the railway station.There are regular trains between Beihai and Nanning, the time schedule of which is as follows:Train No. Departure City &Time Arriving City & TimeN720 Beihai 09:32 Nanning 12:30N719 Nanning 13:30 Beihai 16:28By long-distance bus:Beihai's highways extend to all directions. Two national highways that pass through Behai at present are the No.209 National Highway (Hubei Line) and No.325 National Highway (Guangnan Line). More busses are to converge in Beihai in time to come, as there are plans for the following Beihai-Nanning route, Beihai-Guilin, Beihai-Zhanjiang, Beihai-Chongqing, and Guilin-Nanning-Beihai routes.Due to these efficient highways, driving becomes very convenient as the number of hours is not so long. For examples, it takes about 3 hours' drive from Beihai to Nanning, 7 hours from Beihai to Guilin and 1.5 hours from Beihai to Zhanjiang.Beihai Long-distance Bus Station is the main station catering to long haul routes to destinations like Nanning, Guilin, Liuzhou, Guiyang, Zhanjiang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai. Buses operate from 06:00 to 22:00 hours.Beihai Passenger Bus Center serves buses to Nanning, Liuzhou, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. There is o­ne bus departing at 20:40 hours nightly to Guilin, a journey that takes 7 hours and the fare around CNY 150By SeaBeihai is located at the northeastern bank of Beibu Gulf and at the central position between southwest Hainan and Southeast Asia. There are many natural seaports in the Beibu Gulf area, among which Beihai harbor has a long history and o­ne of the earliest harbors of the 'Silk Road of the Sea' in the ancient times. Beihai harbor is also considered to be o­ne of the most convenient seaports in southwest China. Beihai has close trade relation with more than 216 ports in and around 98 countries. There are mainly 5 sea routes: Beihai → Haikou, Beihai → Guangzhou, Beihai → Weizhou Island, Beihai → Tokyo, Beihai → Singapore.By City-busThere are 9 bus routes operating in Beihai City: Bus No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and the special railway line. Most of the routes pass through Beibu Gulf Square and People's Theater stations. The special railway line passes through Beihai Railway Station, Suwu Village, Guomao Dasha (International Trade Building), Jinwan Dasha (Golden Gulf Building), Beibu Gulf Square, and People's Theater. Bus No. 3 is the most recommended as from Beibu Gulf Square station, it proceeds to the Silver Beach, Beihai Long-distance Bus Station and Qiaogangkou International Wharf. These buses usually operate from early morning at about 06:30 hours till evening about 20:00 hours (some even till late at 22:00 hours). Bus fare usually costs CNY1.00-1.50 and passengers have to get the correct change as tickets are not available o­n board.By TaxiTaxi services in Beihai is popular due to the limited bus services in the city. At present, taxi fare within Beihai City is no more than CNY10. However, it is about CNY15 from the city center to Silver Beach. Tourists are advised to negotiate the fare for services to areas surrounding Beihai areas. Taxi operators like Xiali and Qiya charge CNY5 for the first 2 km (1.2 miles) and CNY1.40 for every subsequent kilometer. Operators like Santana, Jetta and Cherry, o­n the other hand, charge CNY7.00 for the first 2 km and CNY1.80 for every subsequent kilometer.

Beihai Festivals

Beihai International Pearl FestivalTime: December.Pearls produced in Beihai are well-known for their high quality. Beihai International Pearl Festival aims at introducing to the rest of the world the quality special local product, and developing our traditional Chinese culture. The festival is held annually since 1992. With pearl as the theme and media, a series of activities, involving the fields of culture, tourism, sports as well as economic and technological coOperation, will be held during the festival.Guangxi international folksong arts Festival integrates folk conventional art and international modern art with song and dance shows and matches full of folk characteristics as its main contents.Huapao Festival is a traditional festival which is popular in Tong, Miao,Zhuang ethnic groups in Sanjiang, Longshen and Rongshui. The time is different in these areas. Some are o­n junar Junuary 3,some are o­n Junar May 15 or Feb 2.